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I spoke to someone who has been a long time Blog Talk Radio user and she informed me that they are getting ready to launch a beta that will upgrade the audio. Seems like they are catching up to 2015.

If they do have much higher audio quality for shows and callers this could be a game changer for a lot of people

This is true. I published an article on Blog Talk Radio listing 12 reasons why you should NEVER use them. I met Andy Toh (a main manager at BTR) and he stopped me and THANKED me for that article and said they are going over each point and knocking it off. They just released new Terms of Service (much more user friendly). They do have a 128 kbps version coming (I'm beta testing it ). They see the power of podcasting, and Andy himself said "I know our audio quality is bad." So they are working to update their system. The good news is they aren't changing their user interface. So there will be no learning curve for their current users. They haven't put out a date yet, but I hear its going to be soon. They've also hired some key people to work in the community, and they are more involved in the community than ever (sponsoring and attending events). They are moving one step at a time. They are aware that right now their terms say you HAVE To use their RSS feed (but there is no redirect available if you want to leave) They are working on it.

It's more like catching up to 2010. I heard one of their HD streams. It was not impressive. They are quite expensive for what you get.

Tell us how you really feel Mike. Look, I think they're moving in the right direction and there business model seems to be working just fine for them. There are lot of people who are interested in doing their own live broadcast who can benefit from a simple, turnkey solution, even if people in the know believe it's over priced for the service they provide. They are going to charge what the market will bear, and while their quality might not be terrific, they have plenty of customers who see value on their service. I think it's great that they want to improve and I'm sure they will.

BTR is its own bubble. I dont think there is a lot of crossover between the podcasting community and Blog Talk Radio users. Obviously there will be some but the majority or people who are "hosts" on BTR are calling into the BTR system and recording the podcast over a phone line. There really isnt much they can do for those users when it comes to quality.

What BTR is now trying to do is attract the "Podcasters". The phone system is well worth the 40 dollars a month in my opinion. Upgrading the audio quality to 128k and some other small improvements will go a long way for them.

Another thing to consider is the possible exposure to new listeners. BTR has a very large community of listeners that only listen to shows on BTR.

Andrew you bring up something fascinating. Many people use a phone to record their show on Blog Talk Radio. how is having their podcast in 128k going to help them. It will not. They are still calling with a phone line.

Tell us how you really feel Mike. Look, I think they're moving in the right direction and there business model seems to be working just fine for them. There are lot of people who are interested in doing their own live broadcast who can benefit from a simple, turnkey solution, even if people in the know believe it's over priced for the service they provide. They are going to charge what the market will bear, and while their quality might not be terrific, they have plenty of customers who see value on their service. I think it's great that they want to improve and I'm sure they will.

Spencer, I'm just bitter that I spent all this time (my whole life) and money striving for good audio only to discover, based on Blog Talk Radio's success, that audio is not important.

Please direct all questions for me to the forum so that all can benefit.